2017 Writers Guild Awards Nominees Include ‘La La Land’ & ‘Deadpool’

The next set of 2016 awards nominees have been revealed. The WGA Awards nominations were unveiled today, featuring a very interesting set of films. Many of these are my favorite movies of the year anyway – between Damien Chazelle’s La La Land, and Eric Heisserer’s Arrival, and Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, we’re pretty much set. But they also nominated a few other underrated scripts including Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick’s Deadpool, Taylor Sheridan’s fantastic crime thriller Hell or High Water, as well as Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi’s Hidden Figures. As usual with the WGA, I’m impressed by the nominees, as the WGA is less about popularity and truly about quality. Check out the full list of film nominees below.

Original Screenplay:Hell or High Water – Written by Taylor SheridanLa La Land – Written by Damien ChazelleLoving – Written by Jeff NicholsManchester by the Sea – Written by Kenneth LonerganMoonlight – Written by Barry Jenkins

Adapted Screenplay:Arrival – Screenplay by Eric Heisserer; Based on the Story "Story of Your Life" by Ted ChiangDeadpool – Written by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick; Based on the X-Men Comic BooksFences – Screenplay by August Wilson; Based on His PlayHidden Figures – Screenplay by Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi; Based on the Book by Margot Lee ShetterlyNocturnal Animals – Screenplay by Tom Ford; Based on the Novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright

Documentary Screenplay:Author: The JT LeRoy Story – Written by Jeff FeuerzeigCommand and Control – Telescript by Robert Kenner and Eric Schlosser, Story by Brian Pearle and Kim Roberts; Based on the book Command and Control by Eric SchlosserZero Days – Written by Alex Gibney

Feature films eligible for a Writers Guild Award were exhibited theatrically for at least one week in LA during 2016 and were written under the WGA’s Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) or under a bona fide collective bargaining agreement of the Writers Guild of Canada, Writers Guild of Great Britain, Irish Playwrights & Screenwriters Guild, or the New Zealand Writers Guild. Documentaries eligible for a Writers Guild Award featured an onscreen writing credit and were exhibited theatrically in LA or New York for one week during 2016. Theatrical screenplays/documentaries produced under the jurisdiction of the WGA or an affiliate Guild must have been submitted for WGA awards consideration. See all the WGA nominees here.

There are a few big surprises in this year’s nominations, including Deadpool and Hidden Figures, but I trust the WGA and don’t expect them to choose something that isn’t worthy of recognition. Plus, they seem to be good at tossing in a few unique scripts like these two every year. It will be an exciting awards season playing out over the next few months as anything might end up winning. The winners of the WGA Awards will be announced Sunday, February 19th, so come back to see who won. Your thoughts on the 2017 nominees?